


Thicker Than Water

by Skylar0Grace



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-18
Updated: 2011-06-18
Packaged: 2017-11-27 15:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/663640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylar0Grace/pseuds/Skylar0Grace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Sam discover that they have a sister, Buffy, who was abducted at birth and her disappearance covered up. Surprises just keep coming though when they find out that she's also a Slayer, a mystical warrior with a destiny, and travel to Cleveland, the only known collective of Slayers. Trouble is, the Slayers are also in trouble and with the fate of the world in the balance, things can't possibly get worse. Unless you count the fact that Dean seems to be falling in love with Buffy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://sncross-bigbang.livejournal.com/profile)[**sncross_bigbang**](http://sncross-bigbang.livejournal.com/). The amazing [](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/profile)[**kaddywhak**](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/) did the art for this story and you should definitely go check it out over at her [master post](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/12181.html)! Remember to leave lots of love because she put up with an unfinished story almost until the deadline! *hugs* :P MUCH love to my beta, the awesome [](http://hezio2.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://hezio2.livejournal.com/)**hezio2** , without whom I wouldn't have finished! Because she poked and prodded me from all the way over there to get it done :P

* * *

  
_Sam stepped inside and stood momentarily still as he waited for his eyes to adjust. Before he could even move, a shoulder bumped his and he saw Dean push past._

_“Stop being such a jerk!”_

_Dean whirled around and Sam had to stop himself from taking a step backward. He wasn’t afraid of his brother, at least, that’s what he told himself, but he hated Dean’s anger being directed toward him. He wanted to shove him, hit him and say that he was old enough to look after himself; he didn’t need to be babysat and he didn’t need Dean watching out for him. He could handle himself._

_But he couldn’t._

_Truth was, he’d have been toast if Dean hadn’t been there to back him up and he almost hadn’t been. It should’ve been an easy job, one that could have seen them passing straight through and perhaps even given Dean a night off. He’d snuck out and tracked it down, only to be taken down himself and Dean had gotten there just in time to stop him from being dismembered. He’d endured the silent treatment from Dean most of the way back but he’d made the mistake of speaking first and Dean had exploded._

_He hated being the youngest. He wanted to prove that he was as good as Dean, that he could do this job himself and didn’t need back up, but he was the only family Dean had and nothing he could say or do would stop his brother from looking out for him._

_Dean threw a “Don’t get yourself into any trouble!” over his shoulder before moving further into the din and Sam sighed before sitting at the end of the bar beside him._

_“Had a fight?”_

_Sam looked over at the blonde on the barstool and gave her a short nod. “Brothers!”_

_She smiled softly. “I don’t have any brothers but I do have sisters. They can absolutely drive you nuts sometimes!”_

_He nodded and ordered a beer, his eyes ghosting over the room and spotting Dean in the far corner with the pool table. Fortunately there was no one else with him and he didn’t have to worry about having to break up a brawl._

_“It’s just...” He looked up at her and found her bright blue eyes fixed solely on him. “It’s just that we’re all we’ve got. There’s just us left now.”_

_“And things would be easier if you had someone else as a buffer.”_

_He nodded. “Most of our lives it’s just been us and I should be used to it by now but sometimes I wish it wasn’t just us. “_

_Her lips turned up in a large grin which showed her teeth. There was a moment where the air around them seemed to still and crackle at the same time and she downed the last of the Cosmo in front of her before looking back at him._

_“Done.”_  


* * *

  
Dean rolled his eyes and gave a slight shake of his head. “Just hurry up, I wanna get out of here as soon as possible.”

Sam mumbled something and grabbed the keys as he headed for the door. Dean shoved the last rifle in his duffle and zipped it up in frustration, eager to get on to the next hunt and forget about their argument. When he saw Sam pause at the door, he looked up expecting a repentant Sam – or at least a less grumpy one – but instead, he saw a confused blonde woman. Sam looked back at him, his eyes flicking toward the duffle and Dean gave a slight nod. She looked harmless but it never hurt to be careful.

“Hi. Um, are you looking for someone?”

The woman seemed to appreciate the calm tone to Sam’s voice and she gave a small smile. “Uh, I don’t know. I can’t remember what I’m doing here.”

He took a deep breath. It wasn’t the first time a demon had used a host to discover their location and then left the host there until they could strike at a more opportune time. It gave them a bit of a heads up but he guessed it sucked to be the host. Other than a demon wearing your skin, you ‘woke’ up not knowing how you got where you did or what you’d done. Sam seemed to have more of a knack at empathy, so Dean moved around the side of the bed and pulled out his duffle filled with clothing from under it. The weapons bag was still within reach, just in case the demon hadn’t quite left yet but as he watched her take Sam’s unspoken offer to come inside and step over the salt line, he doubted she was a threat.

Sam offered her a bottle of water. “Here, you should drink this. You look thirsty.”

She nodded her thanks and Dean could practically see the gears turning in her head as she struggled to figure out what was going on. She drank the tainted water without the slightest reaction to the holy water mixed in with it and he found his eyes wandering the room for anything they had left behind. The salt lines they’d leave in place. He doubted that a maid would come in and clean the room so if nothing else, maybe the people that rented the room next would have that little bit of extra protection.

Sam motioned to the folded paper held tightly in her hand. “Mind if I have a look?”

She shrugged, offered it to him and Dean would have happily picked up the bags in front of him and headed for the Impala if Sam’s eyes hadn’t nearly bugged out of his head as he read it. He met Dean’s eyes as he looked up and Dean started for him as Sam bent before the woman sitting at their kitchen table and staring into space.

“What’s your name?”

He plucked the paper from Sam’s hands and skimmed over it. He didn’t need to be a genius to figure out that it was a birth certificate and judging by the amount of wear, it was an older one. The name read ‘Elizabeth Anne Winchester’ and listed the parents as ‘John and Mary Winchester’. He looked up at the woman.

“Buffy.”

“Buffy?”

Sam offered a sideways glare before turning his attention back on the woman before him. If he kept staring at her, Dean was sure Sam was going to burn a hole right through her. She gave them both a cursory glance and he noticed that her confidence was growing; whatever confusion had kept her appearing shy and timid was quickly fading.

“It’s a form of Elizabeth, Dean. Did you know about this?”

He looked back at the birth certificate and took note of the date. “It’s not possible Sammy. This has to be a mistake - I think I would remember a sister born before you.”

“Would you?” Sam challenged. “You would have been two, Dean, two.”

Buffy stood up. “Look, I’m probably more confused than both of you together so I’m just gonna go and figure out what’s happening – and where my mind went…”

As she turned to the door, Sam reached out and grabbed her upper arm in protest but she moved quickly as she twisted his arm behind him in one fluid movement. Dean raised an eyebrow. She seemed slightly embarrassed, as though the move had been purely reflexive and unintentional, and let go of him quickly. Sam rubbed his shoulder as he straightened and turned to her.

“Look, I’m sorry. It’s just, based on this birth certificate, you’re our sister and we’re just trying to figure this out.”

“Well, one of us is. This has to be a mistake because I would remember another sibling.” Sam shot him a look. “I meant one born after me and before you.”

“Where did you grow up? And how did you even find us?”

Buffy took a step back. “Look, I’m a little confused here- ”

“You’re not the only one.”

She glared at him. “I mean, I know my name is Buffy and that someone named Dawn is _really_ important to me but everything else is blank. And this isn’t just some hangover amnesia – at least, I don’t think it is. I don’t feel hung over.” She frowned in thought. “Either way, I think it’s just best if we forget I ever came here and if we’re related, I’m _sure_ we’ll bump into each other again someday.”

“No! I mean, we want you here, right Dean?”

Two pairs of eyes turned to look at him and he swallowed the urge to snort. “Uh…”

Buffy shook her head softly and turned on her heel for the door while Sam admonished him with a glance. “Buffy!”

“Look- ” Dean cut in, “You’ve got nowhere to go, right?” Buffy regarded him cautiously. “I guess we can go and get some breakfast, and Sam can do a bit of that computer stuff that he does, and he might be able to track you down and help you out with that hangover you don’t have.”

She opened her mouth in protest but Sam moved quickly to the table and turned on his laptop. She gave a soft sigh and looked back at him. “Fine. But then I’m on my way. And I _don’t_ have a hangover!” She put her duffle on the floor and looked back at them. “I’ll go get some coffees and be back in a few.”

The door closed behind her and he waited until she would be out of earshot before turning to Sam.

“What the -? You don’t believe that something as important as the birth of a baby sister would stick in my memory?”

“We don’t know what happened Dean,” Sam replied without looking up. “I just think it’s worth looking into.”

“I would _remember_ Sam!”

He looked up at him. “Just let me do my job Dean. Whine about it later.” Dean growled in frustration and slammed the birth certificate on the table. “Besides, we never know how careful Dad was and there’s always the possibility that- ”

“He loved Mum!”

“I know he did! But we already found one half sibling and you never know how many more siblings there may be. Or nieces. Or nephews…”

He stilled at the implication. He was always careful. Always. But that didn’t mean that accidents didn’t happen. He did move around a lot so he wouldn’t even know. And given what was really out there in the dark, and his responsibilities, he wasn’t sure that kids were a good idea, planned or not.

“This is different. This is Mum AND Dad. I would know.”

“Maybe not…”

Dean’s head shot round at the distracted comment and he walked around to see the computer. There were several windows open on the desktop and Sam was flicking through them so fast that Dean wasn’t even sure what he had found until he stopped on an article.

“There was an incident at the hospital the day after she was born. See, that’s them in the photo in the background. Apparently Buffy disappeared from the hospital and was never seen again.”

He looked at the photo and he could see the grief on his parents’ faces as John hugged Mary while police and hospital staff moved around them. It was dated January 20th, 1981. He tried to remember but only drew a blank. He remembered his mother being pregnant with Sam and everything from the day he was brought home but nothing about a sister. He noticed Sam’s frown and looked back at the screen.

“It seems as though someone tried to remove the article from the database. This was just an old copy that had been backed up. She disappears from the system until the fire and turns up the next day as _Buffy_ Anne Winchester. Before the fire, Buffy Anne Winchester didn’t exist.”

The door opened and Buffy walked in with her arms filled with several boxes. As Dean helped her put them all on the table, Sam continued talking as if he hadn’t noticed a thing.

“There’s a bunch of school records for a Buffy Anne Winchester at an all-girls private school in Los Angeles – several sports: track, gymnastics, cheerleading – and a pretty awesome GPA. Good enough to get accepted to Yale where she did Archaeological Studies. Schooling drops off after that but there’s employment records that suggest she’s self employed and currently living in Los Angeles, though I can’t seem to find any trace of where she’s living. It all seems pretty normal to me.”

“And completely foreign to me.”

Sam looked up over his laptop and gave her a sympathetic smile before grabbing a box of pancakes and returning to the monitor. His fingers clicked away for a few moments before he paused.

“Parents were Harry and Joy Summerfield, both attorneys, who died in a speed-related accident two years ago. No other siblings, near relatives or partners.”

“So, basically, no one’s looking for me. How fantastic.”

“Well, there’s us.” He looked across at Dean before letting out a breath. “Turns out you were taken from the hospital the day after you were born.”

She set down her tea carefully on the table. “What?”

The police tried searching for you but whoever took you cleaned up after themselves and wiped the records from the main database. With no paperwork on an active investigation running, they seem to have dropped it.”

“And no one looked?”

“Our Mum died when I was six months old and our Dad didn’t really cope well. Seems that whoever covered everything up seems to have thought that they could take the risk after that and the day after, you turned up in the system as ‘Buffy’, not ‘Elizabeth’. It wouldn’t have even raised an eyebrow because the name doesn’t match.”

She took a deep breath. “So, I’ve got no family, no memories, apparently no home and only whatever is in that bag. Peachy.”

Buffy’s shoulders dropped and she slumped back in her chair. She absentmindedly pushed around part of a pancake while she was lost in thought and Dean thought about calling Bobby to see if he had any idea what to do. They couldn’t take her with them because it was too dangerous but dropping her off somewhere alone wasn’t really an option that he liked either. If anyone found out they had a sister, they’d go after her to get to them. Obviously, Sam wasn’t thinking the same thing.

“Look, you don’t have to worry. You can come with us and we’ll see if we can try and get some of your memories back.”

He nearly choked on his mouthful and his eyes watered as he tried to swallow and draw in air. Buffy raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, he looks so thrilled with the idea.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Ignore him. We were headed out your way, so you can come along for the drive and hopefully we get some answers.”

“We should call Bobby.”

Sam closed his laptop and packed it into the bag. “I know. If we hit the road now, we can call him on the way; might even drop in on him if he has something.”

He packed up the rest of his things and Dean scoffed the rest of his breakfast as he scowled at him. If Buffy really was their sister, he’d protect her until the day he died. But if it was a ploy, she wouldn’t be the first to use family as a way to get at him.

And he wouldn’t hesitate to protect Sam.  


* * *

  
The headlights lit up the road in front of them and Dean concentrated on trying to spot something supernatural in the shadows. The game was something he’d created a while back to keep himself awake during the night drives while Sam was sleeping. He’d have tried turning on his music, even if it was low, but Buffy was asleep in the back and now there were two other people for him to think about.

He glanced up in the rearview mirror and saw the slight rise and fall of her shoulder, a lock of blonde hair escaping her ponytail and falling slowly over her sleeping face like a curtain. If he looked hard enough, squinted, he thought that maybe she looked like his mother. There were some features that looked like neither parent and that was a little puzzling but it had been awhile since he’d really looked at either of them and he couldn’t really be sure. Especially his mother. She was from a life that no longer existed, a ‘what if?’.

She took a sudden deep breath and her brows furrowed, her lips pursing as though she was confused about something and he tore his eyes away from her and focused them on the road. He was reminded once more of how beautiful she was and he didn’t relish having to fight off any potential jerks that would no doubt try and get to her. He reasoned the jealousy away as not wanting to lose her so quickly after finding out she existed, even if it was just to someone else, and ignored any part of his ‘irrational’ thinking which suggested otherwise. He decided that having a sister was a new concept and he just had to get used to seeing her that way.

Though he was looking at the road, he wasn’t _watching_ the road and so the yellow hatchback crumpled into the tree just off to his left was a surprise, as was the body on the road, and he had to stop the car suddenly to avoid running them over. Beside him Sam flew forward, his quick reflexes enabling him to put his hands out and catch himself on the dash before he hit the windshield. From the back he heard a grunt and he tossed a glance into the back to see a pair of startled green eyes looking at him.

He murmured an apology and looked at the figure in front of him. Obviously there had been a car accident and looking at the dark streak on the road, the driver had crawled from the vehicle and tried to get help. His eyes scanned the road in front of him and he didn’t see anybody else. He opened his door and climbed out.

“Dean- ?”

He stuck his head back in and looked at Sam. “I’ll just be a minute.”

His voice offered assurance, at least he hoped it did for Buffy’s sake, but his eyes warned Sam to be ready and seeing the slight nod from him, he patted the door once and moved toward the body. He couldn’t see any visible wounds on the man’s back but a car accident was more likely to wound the front of the body and he knelt slowly and turned him over.

His focus was drawn immediately to the man’s face. Dean would have sworn that it was some sort of scar, perhaps from a burn, but the nose and the forehead were deformed and the eyes more sunken and when the eyelids opened to reveal yellow eyes, he immediately turned around to warn Sam. Before he could make a sound, teeth were sinking into his neck and pain was exploding in his head. There was a cry of fear from the Impala but his strength was forced into his arms as he tried to push himself away. Adrenaline aided him and he felt the teeth slip out and graze across his neck before he suddenly fell forward, the body disintegrating into a pile of ashes.

Dean looked toward the Impala and saw Sam getting up from the ground, staring at Buffy, her form illuminated by the car’s headlights. She dropped her arm slowly and looked at it in surprise.  


* * *

  
Buffy sat quietly in the back and stared out the window into the dark night. Dean’s eyes flicked between the road and the rearview mirror as he waited to see if anything else was out of the ordinary. Without realising it, he was pushing the Impala faster than he should have been as he tried to reach Bobby’s house; Bobby would know what to do about her. Every instinct told him that something was different about her, that her lack of memory was a concern and that he should be cautious but those same instincts were also desperate to protect her. If she really was his sister, he would make sure that she was somewhere safe and out of the life he and Sam were currently living but her reflexes had made him pause.

Her reaction to the vampires had been less ‘karate lessons’ and more ‘Hunter’ than he cared to admit. She _had_ saved him and Sam but if she was some sort of demon then that might all be part of the plan to gain their trust. Not that she’d reacted to the holy water or the salt or any of the other tests he and Sam had performed without her knowing. In fact, she could very well-

“Will you stop doing that?”

“Huh?”

He pulled his eyes back to the road but she folded her arms and rolled her eyes as she laid her head against the window.

“The staring? Stop it! I can feel you looking at me. And right now, I’m more freaked out than you are so just stop it; I don’t need anything else to worry about.”

A small creature, probably a feral cat, darted out of the headlights and into the scrub on the side of the road as they passed and Dean gave a cursory glance toward his brother. Sam was still fighting the concussion he’d gotten earlier and gave a small sigh when he felt Dean look at him.

“We understand that you’re a little confused right now-“

“Confused?! Confused?! I was confused when Ricky dumped me for that tart Vanessa. I was confused when my boss-“

She stopped abruptly and he looked into the rearview mirror cautiously only to find her frowning and staring hard at her hands.

“What is it?”

“I... I remember those things happening... but when I try to recall the memory it’s like it dissipates before I can grab it. It’s like...” Her green eyes met his in the mirror and the confusion morphed into a frown again. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that some creatures out of a nightmare world just attacked us and I didn’t die! It’s like a really bad movie and I’m not confused so much as freaking out!”

He saw Sam turn around in his seat to face her. “Look, you’ve probably got a ton of questions right now and I promise we’ll answer what we can but we need to take some time out and get some rest. First thing in the morning we’ll all sit down and talk.”

She warily looked at him and Dean wasn’t sure whether or not she was buying it. Her crossed arms and slumped shoulders didn’t exactly scream ‘trust’ but he didn’t think she’d try and run either. To be honest, he’d expected more screaming; more disbelief that she’d seen what she’d seen. The night rolled on as the scenery passed by, the shadows enveloping the surroundings and making the tree line appear more ominous than it was.

The neon motel sign lit up the car park to his right as he pulled in and took a look around him. Sam and Buffy had both fallen asleep and he quietly turned off the engine and climbed out, making as little sound as possible when he closed the door. His eyes darted around the area looking for signs of trouble but there was only one other car nearby and a single light above a sign that read ‘reception’.

A thin older man with a greying beard sat on a stool behind the counter reading a newspaper. Upon Dean entering, he climbed off and pushed the newspaper aside with a smile. For the early hours of the morning, he was quite enthusiastic and Dean gave a brief once over of the office. Everything was neatly arranged and seemed to be in better condition than most of the places they’d stayed over the years.

“What can I do ya for?”

“Uh, what’s available?”

The older man grinned and leant forward on the counter. “Well, it’s off season and we don’t get a whole lotta people aroun’ this time so I can offer ya any room here ‘cept the single that’s taken by a regular. Is it just you?”

He shook his head. “Nah, I’m travelling with my brother and sister; they’re asleep in the car.”

“Younger, huh?”

Dean gave him a half smile and the man reached behind the rack of keys on the cupboard lining the back wall. As he began rifling through the cupboard, Dean’s eyes fell on the newspaper the man had been reading. The lead article had something to do with a local businessman but the short article underneath appeared to be a piece on coyote attacks. The word ‘again’ grabbed his attention and as the man turned back toward him, he tore his eyes from it.

“Is it just for tha night?”

Indecision caused him to stumble on his answer and he took a deep breath. Rubbing the back of his neck, he gave a quick glance outside before shaking his head.

“Actually, I’m pretty tired. Let’s just leave it open for now.”

“Well, there’s not a whole lotta business at the moment so I’ll tell ya what. You can have the family room at the single rate unless there’s suddenly a whole bunch of customers an’ then I’ll bump it up.”

He chuckled to himself and Dean gave him a nod and pulled out his wallet. He handed over the card and as the man processed it, he picked up the three brown towels with woven green edges and shoved the room key into his pocket.

“Do you mind if I borrow this?”

The old man turned around and glanced at the paper he held in his hand. “Nah, get a new one in a few hours.”

“Thanks.”

He got a nod in return and after taking back his card and being directed up the stairs, he pushed open the door and headed toward the Impala. A chill ran up his spine and he froze momentarily as he glanced around. Seeing nothing, he cautiously approached the car and opened up Sam’s door.

“What the... ?”

Sam fell as the door disappeared beneath him and a startled Buffy looked over at them as he grinned. “Up you get, sleepy heads. I’ve got us a room, so grab your stuff.”

Sam and Buffy climbed out of the car and grabbed their bags. The three of them climbed the stairs to the first floor and Dean, opening the door, was immediately shoved aside as Buffy and Sam made their way in. Buffy peered into the first room, swung her bag inside and closed the door. Sam left the door to the first room he looked at open and disappeared into the second room, shutting the door behind him.

“I’ll just take the couch...” Dean muttered as he closed the front door and surveyed the room.

The lounge room and kitchen were one room, the two-seater the divider between them, and the small bathroom was between the now closed off bedrooms. Dean checked the windows and locked the door before setting up the usual precautions. Once he was done with the main room, he opened the door Sam had disappeared behind and saw that Sam had already done his room. There was a small feeling of pride before he closed the door and looked at the other. He stood for five minutes debating on whether or not to go into it before his need to protect his family won out and he quietly opened the door.

The soft moonbeams fell onto the bed and he saw her curled up at the top of the single bed. The covers had been pulled almost completely over her and her eyelids fluttered softly from whatever dream she was having. He tiptoed across the room, checking the lock on the window and laying a thin line of salt along the sill. His eyes made their way around the otherwise bare room and he glanced once more at her before slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

He took off his jacket and slung it over a kitchen chair before picking up the newspaper and glancing at the heading that had caught his eye. The brief article explained that it was the second coyote related death for the season and that they were hoping to keep the numbers down from the previous year. The Mayor had been quoted as saying that there were no known wolves in the area and that the deaths were attributed to a pack of coyotes that had spotted. The same month the year before had accrued six deaths before it suddenly ceased and the town had thought the coyote had been caught until the deaths had started again. The reporter called for a cull to take place and was insisting on a response from the Mayor.

Dean booted up Sam’s laptop and began a search for the history of the town. Something wasn’t sitting right with him and although he knew that the situation with Buffy was a priority, a feeling settled in his gut that told him that this case would take precedence. His fingers tapped lightly on the keyboard and as he began reading through the articles from the previous year on the attacks, his eyes became heavier until they finally closed and his head dropped softly onto his arm.  


* * *

  
The wolf raised its nose in the air and took a deep breath from the night air. It could sense several things nearby; other animals, plants, water and humans. The last of these interested the wolf more than the others and it let its nose lead it to a nearby house. The backyard led onto the reserve and the wolf waited in the shadows of the surrounding trees as it watched the occupant exit the back door and walk over to the bin. The man shoved the bag of leftovers into the garbage bin before walking over to the barbeque and picking up the utensils.

The wolf edged closer as the man walked back inside, the screen door slamming shut behind him and as the wolf crept to the edge of the property and paused beneath a large overgrown bush, the man returned with paper towels. He used the spatula to scrape off the remaining bits of food and collected it in the paper towels. The wolf watched with curiosity as the man smiled at a well done job and gathered the used paper and placed it in the bin.

The wolf listened to the steady heartbeat of the man and when an owl landed on a branch nearby, it sped up briefly before the man identified the source of the noise. The wolf crouched low as it slunk closer, its brown fur briefly catching the moonlight as it ran from one bit of cover to the next. The man took a few steps toward the reserve as if he sensed that something was not right and nearly jumped as the owl offered a warning hoot.

The man turned back toward his house and had the barest of seconds to recognise that the enormous wolf behind him was a threat and that there was something not right with it before the wolf latched onto his throat, tearing the scream from it as blood filled its mouth. The wolf relished the kill for a mere moment and then a light footfall had it racing back across the yard and into the reserve behind. It ran fast, the moonlight snatching glances of it, as it darted in and out of the shadows of the trees.

A high pitched scream filled the night shortly after and as the scream turned to sobbing, an owl hooted and took flight.  


* * *

  
The sound of light footsteps woke him and he kept still whilst trying to ascertain the source. His fingers slowly moved toward the gun beside the computer and as a particularly loud footfall sounded, the movement stopped and Dean used the opportunity to sit up straight and draw his gun on them. Buffy’s eyes widened almost comically as she stared at the gun in his hand and he quickly withdrew it, a small grunt the only apology.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you.”

He glanced at the time on the computer and groaned. “What are you doing awake anyway?”

She shrugged. “I guess I’m not much of a sleeper.” She hesitated only momentarily. “What’re you doing?”

Dean cleared his throat uncomfortably and closed the lid. This was not the best way to let someone know what goes bump in the night. “I’ll explain it later.”

She seemed to accept that at face value and there was a short awkward silence. It wasn’t like he could ask her anything about herself and he couldn’t mention anything about his life without mentioning demons. She glanced around the room, chewing on her lip as she tried to avoid eye contact with him. He really wished Sam were awake now; he’d know how to break the awkwardness and, if nothing else, they’d be able to let her know the dangers, keep her away from them and move on.

Dean glanced back at the computer. There was something off about the whole set of articles, something that wasn’t sitting right with him and although the last thing he wanted to do was bring Buffy in on a case, or have her anywhere near one, there wasn’t a whole lot of options. Based on the articles, whatever was attacking only did so during a specified time period each year and if they left it alone, more people were likely to get hurt.

Sam entered the room and passed a glance quickly between the two of them before offering Buffy a smile.

“How’d you sleep?”

She smiled back. “Uh, good, I think.”

Sam nodded and walked over to the kitchen as he pulled a jumper on and got a drink of water. As soon as the glass was filled, Buffy took the opportunity to speak and sat on the lounge as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

“So, about last night...”

Dean took a deep breath as Sam walked over toward her and sat on the arm of the lounge. He offered a comforting smile but Dean thought she looked just as anxious as before. She obviously didn’t know what to think and was trying to make sense of it in her head.

“I know you’ve had a very intense day or so and with your memory loss and finding us, you’re probably just a little stressed. And the last thing we wanna do is add more stress.”

She frowned before shaking her head and raising a hand for him to stop. “Wait a minute. You’re not seriously gonna sit there and give me a whole ‘you imagined the whole thing’ speech are you? Because you know I’m not gonna buy that.”

To his credit, Sam actually blushed and Dean filed that information away for later use when it would be more beneficial. He had an embarrassed smile as he turned to Dean for help and Dean simply rolled his eyes. Obviously she was a little more cluey than he was giving her credit for. He leaned forward in his seat and tried to make sure his brain remembered that she was their sister. Whatever else she was, she was still a Winchester through and through; that wouldn’t change.

“What do you wanna know?”

Buffy crossed her legs as she sat sideways on the lounge. “Well, I wanna know what you guys do. I mean, you didn’t just happen to stumble across a vamp in the middle of the road - obviously you were hunting it. Is that what you guys do? Hunt down vamps?”

Dean’s mouth dropped open a little and he noticed Sam look over at him. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from his sister. Trust her to not question the appearance of a vampire and just go straight for the story behind it. The phrasing ‘vamp’ had him a little startled though. He’d only ever heard Vampire Hunters call them that and he stood and walked over to her, assessing whether or not it was possible that she was raised as a Vampire Hunter. She was a tiny slip of a thing and looked more like a cheerleader than a Hunter but there was no doubting the way she moved. She’d run a stake through the vampire with such force that he’d second guessed their testing methods.

“Um, not really. Not specifically anyway. What do you know about them?”

She didn’t seem at all concerned about his questioning and shrugged. “Nothing, at least, nothing I can remember. When Sam went down it was as though my body moved on its own. It just felt natural.”

He turned to Sam. “What do you reckon?”

Sam shrugged. “It’s possible. I mean, generally Hunters can blend in even if they do move around a lot. It’s possible they just stayed in one spot and kept their area clean. If she was brought up like that, she could still be able to do things she’d normally do without thinking about it. Like walking and talking.”

“And hunting.”

“It’s possible.”

“Uh, hello? ‘She’s’ still here and can hear everything you say. How ‘bout including me in the conversation?!”

Dean frowned. “Our life? It’s not a game! It’s not some novel that you can read and close at night. Night’s usually when we get started and if you’ve already been raised in a life like this then we have to make sure you get your memory back ASAP.”

She stood angrily. “I’m trying! I’ve been trying to remember something, anything, that would give me a clue! Even if I couldn’t remember my parents or my friends, I wanna at least know how I ended up in front of your door!”

They stood toe to toe but it was Sam rising from the lounge that drew their attention away from each other.

“They weren’t your parents!” He looked at Sam in shock. He was clenching and unclenching his fists as he tried to restrain his anger. “John and Mary Winchester were your parents; you were just taken away from them before they-”

Sam threw his hands up and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and Buffy looked after him guiltily.

“I’m really sorry; I didn’t think...”

“Don’t worry about it. Look we’re gonna take you down to Bobby’s. Maybe he knows something that we don’t or he can figure out a way to get your memories back. In the mean time, something has come up and it means we need to stick around here for a few days. But I need to figure out exactly what you know so I know how safe you’re gonna be.”

She nodded, her gaze going back to the bathroom door before looking at him. “What about Sam?”

“He’ll be fine. Just give him a few.”  


* * *

  
He watched her eyes glaze over a little as he described the various parts of the gun in his hand. It was very different to Sam who had absorbed the knowledge he offered like a sponge and he decided to cut his losses. He’d explained it, far more than he needed to, but she was family and she needed to be able to protect herself if he wasn’t there. Offering her the gun, he watched as she frowned at it before raising her arm quickly and pulling the trigger. Pure excitement filtered over her face and she spun around in a circle saying, ‘I hit it’ over and over. He watched her hips move fluidly, the curve of her body as she spun, and swallowed harshly as he looked away from her.

She was his sister.

A part of him was absolutely sickened at the attraction he felt towards her, despite the counter claim that they hadn’t grown up together but it all disappeared when he looked at the target. He’d carved a circle into the bark on a wide tree and had hopes that by the end of the day she’d be able to hit inside the circle. That she’d hit the tree wasn’t really a surprise if she’d been raised by Hunters and taught to use a gun. The way she’d held and aimed it suggested that she’d been taught the basics but in the dead centre of the circle was the bullet hole. She was grinning up at him when he turned back to her and he raised both eyebrows.

“Not bad.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. “Whatever! Your mouth nearly dropped completely open when you saw that, so I’m guessing that’s better than not bad!”

“Beginner’s luck.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself.”

He motioned for her to repeat the action and her teeth ran over her bottom lip as she surveyed the space in front of her. They’d found a clearing about ten minutes from the motel that had obviously been used for shooting. Cans were set up on stumps and there were a few targets carved into trees just like his. A slow smile replaced her teeth and Dean looked away uncomfortably. With a quick motion, she raised, aimed and fired the gun and he turned back to her with a smug look as her tree remained untouched.

Only to see that she was grinning triumphantly.

“You missed.”

She began walking forward and threw back over her shoulder, “I missed my tree.”

He jogged quickly up to her, his eyes scanning the trees in front of them. Some distance behind the tree she’d been shooting at was the one he’d shot at as he explained how to use the gun. His two bullet holes were pretty much dead centre but about a hand span away from his was the newly made one by the blonde walking beside him. She grinned up at him when she noticed his surprise and stopped ten feet away while he went to check it out. Sure enough, it was there.

“Not bad at all.” he said, turning around to face her.

She rolled her eyes again and shook her head. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she offered him the gun back. “What’s next?”

“Next we go see Sam. He’s checking out the info and he should have something by now.” As they headed back for the motel, he noticed her looking down at her feet. “What’s up?”

She sighed. “It’s just, I, I don’t really know who I am. Suddenly I have a family I don’t know, can’t remember, and I feel like I’m already on the outs with him. Is it...”

She stopped walking and looked up at the bright sky. He turned to look at her; she was uneasy, worried, and he wanted to hug her. He didn’t do chick flick moments but a sister tended to force that out of a person and he was wondering if it was something he had to get used to. She looked back at him.

“Is it bad that I don’t miss yo-, I mean, _our_ parents?”

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath before looking at her. She seemed to be hanging on his every movement, tracing the lines of his face to see if he was going to forgive her for something she thought she’d done wrong. He missed his parents; had grown up pretty much without them, but he missed them. Sam, though, was able to connect all of it together and miss a life he’d never had, miss the Sunday night dinners and baseball games; the sorts of things normal families did. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t wrap his mind around not being out there, hunting things down, protecting those who still had Sunday night dinners and baseball games.

She was looking up at him for answers and he gave her a small shrug. Her eyes became downcast and he took a step forward.

“You didn’t know them. _We_ barely knew them. Maybe one day you’ll miss them, I don’t know, but it’s hard to miss something you never knew existed. I wouldn’t worry about Sam.”

She nodded slowly, unconvinced, and they walked silently back to the motel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Sam discover that they have a sister, Buffy, who was abducted at birth and her disappearance covered up. Surprises just keep coming though when they find out that she's also a Slayer, a mystical warrior with a destiny, and travel to Cleveland, the only known collective of Slayers. Trouble is, the Slayers are also in trouble and with the fate of the world in the balance, things can't possibly get worse. Unless you count the fact that Dean seems to be falling in love with Buffy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for [](http://sncross-bigbang.livejournal.com/profile)[**sncross_bigbang**](http://sncross-bigbang.livejournal.com/). The amazing [](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/profile)[**kaddywhak**](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/) did the art for this story and you should definitely go check it out over at her [master post](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/12181.html)! Remember to leave lots of love because she put up with an unfinished story almost until the deadline! *hugs* :P MUCH love to my beta, the awesome [](http://hezio2.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://hezio2.livejournal.com/)**hezio2** , without whom I wouldn't have finished! Because she poked and prodded me from all the way over there to get it done :P

* * *

  
Sam didn’t even look up as they walked in.

“How’d it go?”

“Guns? Check.”

Sam looked up from the computer, surprised. “She hit a target?”

Dean scoffed as Buffy sat on the lounge behind Sam. “She hit _my_ target.”

Sam turned around and Buffy blushed. “Well, guess that makes the Hunter theory that much easier to believe.”

Dean nodded toward the computer. “Where are we?”

“Well, I think you’re right. It is something but without seeing the bodies, I’m not really sure. Got a hold of the coroner’s reports on a few of the victims and it seems to lead straight to the theory that it was a coyote but judging by the sizes of the impressions, I’m not sure.”

“Think it was Hounds?”

Sam shook his head. “Not in a town this small. Everyone knows everyone and that many people making deals... well, I’d expect something else from the town. There’s nothing strange or inexplicable about the town itself. It’s seems perfectly normal. I think we’re dealing with something outside coming in.”

“Yeah but what sort of thing comes annually?”

Sam shrugged and clicked a link. “It could be a werewolf.”

“But they turn every month, not annually.”

“What if we’re only noticing it annually?”

Both he and Sam turned to Buffy with questioning looks and she gave a small embarrassed smile.

“I mean, you said it was outside, right? What if the werewolf turns every month but he’s only in town during this part of the year for it to be noticed here?”

Sam grinned at her and turned back to the keyboard typing furiously. As he looked for information, Buffy smiled softly. It was the beginning of an acceptance between them and Dean felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Things had been hard trying to referee fights between Sam and their Dad and he didn’t want to go there again, especially not with Buffy. She’d been mostly passive since she’d turned up on their doorstep but he put that down to unfamiliar environments - and unfamiliar family. He had the sneaking suspicion that once the dust settled, he’d get to see those claws more often and given that she was a Winchester, she was bound to have one hell of a fight in her.

“Coyote attacks aren’t common and deaths are even more unlikely. I’d think they’d have pressed the wolf angle a little more but the coyote sightings seem to have been the clincher and there’s no real pattern of coyote attacks that suggests someone moving about. _But_ there has been an increase in the amount of attacks in the area in the last two years that has a pattern but that’s encompassing wolves, coyotes, rabid dogs, etc. I guess we could be looking at a werewolf that’s been able to hide.”

“Well, we need to take him out. If he’s travelling, that means that he’s not here all the time and someone like that should stick out, especially in a small town like this.”

“They’re not going to respond well to any sort of outside enforcement...”

Dean grinned. “Guess we’re off to the bar then!”

He saw Sam roll his eyes but ignored him. A trip to the bar was just what he needed. Some people went out for fresh air, he just needed a bar to clear his head and he’d been in enough over the years to fit right in. Buffy stood up from the lounge and disappeared into her bedroom and he quickly averted his eyes as they lingered on her. When he looked back at Sam, he saw his brother’s face and without needing prompting, he sighed and walked out of the room. He heard the motel door close behind him as he moved out into the parking lot and he decided that if he was gonna have to hear what he knew was coming, he was at least gonna have a weapon within range.

“Dean!” Sam jogged the last few feet as he opened the boot and came to a stop beside him. “What are you doing?”

“Just leave it alone.” There was a hard edge to his voice and he pushed back his own emotions, trying to leave his voice as emotionless as possible. He pushed a hand into the bag in the trunk and pulled out a bag of salt rounds.

“She’s our sister.”

He froze momentarily at the statement. There was no disgust in Sam’s voice, just concern and he was left wondering why. He was certainly filled with disgust.

“I know.”

“Dean...”

Dean slammed the lid of the trunk, his hand resting on it as an apology to her, and looked up at Sam.

“I _know_. I don’t need you reminding me. I’m not going to do anything stupid so just drop it.”

“Dean...”

The pitying sound in Sam’s voice was the last straw and he grit his teeth as he stepped threateningly closer to his brother. His voice was low and Sam stood his ground, used to the threat that Dean never followed through on.

“What do you wanna hear Sam? I know who she is! My brain knows that but my body is thinking something entirely different. She’s not just our sister, she’s someone we’ve only just met! I need some time and I’m not going to do anything stupid between now and then, so back off!”

Sam took a deep breath. “If I’ve noticed, so has she. She’s not stupid.”

He glanced back at the closed motel door before looking back at Sam. “I’m heading off to the bar to see what I can find out.”

The implication was obvious and Dean knew he didn’t need to tell Sam not to follow. He turned and walked out of the parking lot, taking a right and heading for the brightly lit sign on the bar. It wasn’t far away but it was far enough that he’d be able to let off some steam on the way there and sober up on the way back. He didn’t dare look back in case Sam was still watching him and opted instead to kick some of the larger rocks in his path. What he really needed was a punching bag but a beer would do just as well.

The inside of the bar was smokey but relatively well lit considering. The bar was about half-filled and he’d bet that when the businesses closed down for the day, this was the place most of the town went. A red head was behind the bar and she seemed to know the patrons by name. She offered a small smile as he entered and she looked him over. He moved to sit at the bar.

“You know the rules Jimmy - pay the tab and you can start again. You’ve already reached the limit. Don’t make me kick ya out.”

The disgruntled man in his late 30s who was standing in front of her groaned before slamming his palm lightly on the bar and heading for the back exit. She watched him leave before she turned around and smiled.

“What can I getcha?”

“Beer.” She nodded and Dean handed her a handful of large bills. “Keep them coming too.”

She looked at the bills in her hand before assessing him. With nothing more than a small nod, she placed the bottle in front of him and moved to the other end of the bar. Dean turned to check out the place and noticed that most people seemed to be there for interaction with one another and not drinking. There was still a drink in just about every hand, even those of the two in the corner playing pool. He briefly entertained the idea of hustling but tossed it away as he brought the bottle up to his lips again.

People filtered in and out and after about an hour, the place became more crowded as the residents talked animatedly amongst themselves. A badge sat next to him and surveyed the place but his posture was relaxed and Dean knew he wasn’t expecting trouble.

“Just passing through?”

Dean looked up into the bright blue eyes of the man next to him and offered a small nod. “Saw the coyote attacks in the paper - not something I need to be worried about, is it?”

The man looked at him and Dean could tell he was trying to figure out just how much he knew. But years of the same look had forced him to learn how to hold an innocent expression and the man looked back at the gathering crowd.

“Nah, don’t think so. We’ve got some good people on it.” There was a small beat and he looked back at Dean. “Where are you staying?”

He nearly scoffed out loud. The town was small and there was no doubt that word about them had filtered through, even to the top brass. The man probably knew everything about them by now - well, everything that he’d allowed them to know.

“Motel down the road. My sister just lost her job and my brother and I are taking her back with us for some down time. Sort of a family road trip.”

The man nodded and looked back at the room. He caught the bartender’s eyes and gave her a small nod and was rewarded with a small smile. She picked up the bottles from an empty table and walked back behind the bar. Dean pretended not to notice a thing. After a few minutes, the Sheriff got up offered the standard, ‘have a good stay’ and walked out, throwing a goodbye to ‘Lucy’ over his shoulder.

He downed at least a handful of beers before he lost count and when he looked up to get another, he noticed Sam and Buffy on the other side of the room. Sam was talking to a man in his mid twenties at a table toward the back of the room and Buffy was playing pool with the two he’d seen before. Sam was angled so that he could still keep an eye on her but he looked relaxed and Dean figured he wasn’t worried about her. Whatever Sam was listening to, it was interesting enough to keep his attention and when Lucy gave him his next beer, he pointed over at them.

“Who’s that talking with my brother?”

She glanced over at the table before leaning against the bar on her forearms. “That’s Douglas Keene, local reporter. I always thought he’d leave here; he was always too big for this town, ya know? But he’s still here, determined to track down the big stories from a small town.” Dean nodded and she threw a glance at the pool table. “That your sister?”

Dean swallowed the beer in his mouth and looked over at pool table. Buffy was lining up a shot, her tongue at the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, and as the balls moved around on the table, her arms shot into the air and she grinned triumphantly at her fellow players. They chuckled and pointed at something on the table and her face fell, a small frown settling on her features as her eyes moved over the table. Dean took another mouthful of beer as he turned back to Lucy and gave her a short nod. She gave him a small smile, a slight touch of pity on her face as if she understood something he hadn’t said and turned to the other side of the bar as someone called her. He decided then and there that he didn’t like her very much.

His eyes, however, found their way back to Buffy as his mind starting become foggy and after another few beers and several rebukes from his mind as he pulled his attention away from her, Dean gave up. He stood and looked at Lucy and as he moved to pull his wallet out, she shook her head. Giving her a nod of thanks, he headed for the back exit.

The rush of cool air hit him as he opened the door and stepped out. There was a dirt carpark in front of him and he looked at the dozen cars there before sucking in a deep breath. The night air hit him and he found his senses clearing, the fog starting to dissipate from his mind. His next couple of steps weren’t shaky and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time, leaning against the wall as he focused on the tiny object in his hand.

The door opened behind him and he heard footsteps running over to him. He turned around and saw Buffy watching him carefully. Her eyes darted around for a moment before she leaned in toward him.

“Did you get anything?”

He blinked a few times at her and felt the fog disappearing. “Yeah, spoke to the Sheriff and the bartender. What about you guys?”

She shrugged and glanced back at the door. “Sam’s been talking to that reporter all night. I think he’s getting a fair bit from him though.”

“What about you?”

She grinned as she looked at him. “I learnt to play pool! I’m either a fast learner or I’ve played before because I’ve had to hold back the last few games so I don’t bruise their egos.”

Dean grinned back at her and pushed himself off the wall. There was a moment of dizziness before the world sat right again and Buffy frowned.

“Are you sure you’re okay to go back by yourself?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

She continued to frown at him as though she were trying to figure out just how much of that had been a lie, her eyes taking in his no doubt dishevelled, appearance and trying to match that with what she already knew about him. She bit her bottom lip and every wall he was desperately holding up came crashing down. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, his hands holding onto her face for stability from both the inebriation and the knowledge that he was in the wrong. She froze underneath his hands and it was as he loosened his hands that she moved, her hands pulling on his shirt as she drew him closer and her mouth moving against his. His mind completely blanked and he pulled her in, his hand drawing around her waist and the other slipping into her hair. He became lost in the feel of her soft lips against his, the planes of his body pressed into hers and her hand slipping around to his back.

It was her fingers ghosting over his back that did it, and his eyes sprang open as he pushed her back from him. She looked completely confused, her eyes darting between his as he struggled to bring up the walls again. He didn’t say anything as he turned and walked away from her and he knew by the lack of footsteps that she was neither following him, nor turning back. He’d made it to the edge of the lot before he heard any movement from her and he closed his eyes briefly before letting out the breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding and headed for the motel.  


* * *

  
When he heard Sam and Buffy return half an hour later, he was hiding in the bathroom with the shower on. He waited a good ten minutes after the quiet settled in before turning off the now cold running water and a further ten minutes before creeping out. The room was empty and he headed straight for the lounge. Quickly getting ready to sleep, he threw himself down and pulled the blanket over his head. He’d slowed down his breathing considerably when he heard a door open. He wasn’t sure which one it was but the person stayed in the doorway, probably watching him, for a few minutes before closing the door again.

He sighed.

He _really_ hoped it had been Buffy because if it was Sam, chances are he’d know what had happened and that would be an entirely new disaster that he wasn’t ready to deal with.  


* * *

  
He’d been tossing and turning for hours before finally getting up and throwing a shirt on. He moved silently over to the table and looked through all the research Sam had been doing, clicking on the various links and reading through the material. The more he read, the more he tried to throw himself into the case and let it consume him so that he wouldn’t have to think about anything else.

Just before the sun began to rise, he scribbled a note for Sam, picked up his jacket and keys and headed out the door. He wanted to get the case finished so they could head off to Bobby’s. Bobby, he knew, would be able to sort things out, help her with her memories and set her up and he and Sam could be back on the road, just like it was before. Only this time he knew it wouldn’t be the same. He was always going to have a sister. The ride there wouldn’t be comfortable either but he knew that the best way to get her out of his system was to get some distance between them and being cooped up in a motel room with her and Sam was not going to do that.

The Impala moved through the quiet town as residents began stirring and the sun began to rise. He easily found the small brick building that housed the Sheriff’s Office and parked on the street outside. The front door was open and Dean wandered in. The Sheriff was sitting at a desk with some paperwork in front of him whilst an older man pointed at them, his agitation obvious.

“This is the _fourth_ death, Jim, the fourth! You can’t just ignore this. Those bites didn’t come from any coyote I’ve ever seen and we all know that the only other animal responsible for something like this is Harry’s dog! That animal is a menace and it needs to be put down.”

“We _don’t_ know that! There’s been no proof that Buzzer has ever attacked and I can’t just start putting down people’s pets without probable cause. If it’s not a coyote then bring me something I can use!”

“What do you- ”

Conversation abruptly cut off as the Sheriff noticed Dean and he stood, walking over to the waist high counter.

“Hey, can I help you with something?”

Dean raised his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s alright. What’re you after?”

“Well, I was gonna ask a couple of things... you see,” he pretended to stumble over his words, “we were gonna stay a litt- … but with that- I didn’t mean to overhear...”

He shrugged his shoulders, hoping the helpless look on his face was convincing enough and a part of him relaxed slightly at the false smile from the Sheriff.

“Look, it’s nothing for ya to worry about. Really. We’ve got this whole thing under control, just don’t wanna alarm the public, ya know? Don’t want them doing anything stupid that’ll get them into a whole lotta trouble. Ya understand?”

Dean nodded silently and the Sheriff looked back over his shoulder at the other man. The man gave Dean a tight smile and left the office. Ushering him in and sitting him down in a chair, he perched himself on the edge of the desk and looked down at him.

“Everything is still perfectly safe. What did ya wanna know?”

Dean made a show of swallowing thickly, his face seeming to appear to believe the lie before offering the Sheriff a brighter smile.

“Well, as I said, my sister lost her job recently and she’s a little down at the moment. We were thinking of slowing down our drive back before we hit home - ya know how parents can be!” He added an exaggerated eye roll and the Sheriff grinned at him. “Just wondering if there was anything going on at the moment? The motel owner said that people sometimes come through here annually about this time and I was wondering if there was some sort of festival or something going on?”

The Sheriff looked at him curiously before shaking his head. “Nope, no real festivals going on. Had one about a month back and the next major event isn’t for another six weeks. ‘fraid you’re right in the middle of bouts of entertainment.”

Dean nodded and shrugged. “That’s okay. I’m sure we’ll find some excuse to linger for another couple of days before heading off again.”

The man smiled politely and shook Dean’s hand. “Well, I hope you have a good stay and if you’re interested in blowing off some steam while you’re here, Lucy has the bar open every night. Most people ‘round here tend to gather there.”

Dean took the opportunity to leave and tried not to tense as he felt the Sheriff’s eyes on him. He’d encountered law enforcement like that before and he had no doubt that there would be checks run against the card he used by the end of the day. He had one or two days tops before they figured out if the card was really legit but hopefully they’d be on the road by then.

The town was milling with people going about their daily business by the time he stepped outside and he gave a quick glance at the buildings in the street before heading toward the small corner store between the bank and the post office.  


* * *

  
Dean used his wrists to turn the door knob and his foot to push open the door as he balanced the flimsy cardboard tray of drinks. Sam looked up at him from the computer and obviously saw his glance around the room.

“She’s not here. She went down to have a chat with the motel owner.”

He piled all of the things in his arms onto the table, trying not to spill the coffees on the end. As he looked over at Sam’s computer, he noticed a crude drawing of a man shifting into a wolf beside a long column of text. He pulled out a chair and sat down as he swallowed a mouthful of warm coffee.

“Went into town and spoke with the Sheriff. Interrupted a conversation he was having with someone about the attacks - apparently that guy had seen the bodies and didn’t think it was a coyote. Too small. But he does think it was a dog that lives in town so that still means we can clean this up before too many people get involved. Might even be able to keep this under the radar and be out by tonight.”

The motel door opened and Buffy faltered briefly in the doorway as hers eyes met his before she walked in and closed the door behind her. She didn’t look at him as she grabbed the tea from the tray and took a sip.

“Harvey says there’s no one new around here. Other than us of course. There hasn’t been anyone passing through on a regular basis either so that blows that theory.”

“What about the other guy staying here?”

He could have sworn his heart began speeding up as he heard his voice and saw her head turn toward him. She let out a breath before shrugging and looking at the cup in her hands.

“That’s just the deputy. His marriage is on the rocks and he’s been staying here for a while. Trying to land a job in New York so he can get away from the town. Harvey said he had an affair and he’s sort of being pushed out by everyone. Last he heard, the deputy actually got the job so he won’t be here for much longer.”

Dean nodded and took another mouthful of coffee. It was strong but he was glad. Usually the coffee he got was weak and he hated adding to it so that it was drinkable. Strong coffee kept him awake and, like now, gave him something to concentrate on. Sam shifted in his seat at the uneasy silence that settled on the room and Dean fought the urge to kick him for drawing attention to it.

“Well, if it’s not a regular visitor, it must be someone from the town. Maybe someone who is away for long stretches of the year but has a family left here. Like a salesman or truck driver or something. I’ll see if I can get into the town records and narrow down the search. Why don’t you t- “

Dean stood up quickly. “I’m gonna hit the bar. The Sheriff said it was where everybody ended up so I might be able to catch on to some sort of gossip mill or something. If not, I can probably find someone to talk to. Why don’t you guys meet me back at the bar in a few hours.”

He left no room for discussion as he stood and quickly made his way out the door. There was a mumbling as Sam and Buffy talked but he chose to ignore it and headed down the road. The large vacant area beside the motel looked completely different during the day. Being on the outskirts of town, there was nothing between the motel and the bar except what looked like an entrance to some sort of reserve. A rustling on his right drew his attention and he slowed his pace as he casually glanced over. A feral rabbit darted between two trees and he let out a small breath as he looked over at the bar. The lights were still on and there were still a few cars parked out back. It seemed that, like in just about every town, there were a few that seemed to live there.

The bar was nearly empty when he entered and he saw Lucy stacking mugs and glasses behind the bar. She offered him a warm smile and nodded to a seat in front of her.

“Hey there, you’re back again.”

“Yeah, just couldn’t stay away. Truthfully though, I just had to get away from my family.”

She gave a light laugh and he could tell that she probably had everybody in the place eating out of her hand. She was cheery and bright but had an innocence about her that would no doubt lead people to underestimate her. She’d worked the bar last night and he’d seen her innocently flirt with the men and gossip with the women - obviously she knew how to keep everyone happy and he’d seen just enough of a threat in her eyes when an argument heated up the night before that he knew she wouldn’t hesitate to pull punches if it protected her bar.

“Yeah, I can understand that. I have a brother who used to sit on that barstool you’re on and watch me like a hawk when I was working. Drove me nuts! He joined the army last year so that gave me a little more breathing room.”

“Is he back in town?”

She shook her head. “Nah, still miss him though. Never thought I’d realise how much until he left.”

He gave her a small nod and looked around at the people in the bar. There weren’t many people talking with each other - mainly just sitting around and drinking. Each one looked down into their own glass or stared blankly into space. Lucy loaded the last of the washed items onto their shelves and put a beer down in front of him. He smirked at her.

“Thought you looked like you needed it?”

“Is that your way of telling me I look terrible?”

She threw a flirty smile his way and she moved to the other side to get a refill for a man at the other end. “Not at all. Quite the opposite actually.”

He chuckled.  


* * *

  
“You should have seen the look on his face! It was priceless!”

Dean shook his head as Lucy regaled him with tales of her first days on the job. “I still can’t believe the Sheriff is your father.”

She shrugged as Dean noticed Sam slide onto the stool beside him. Buffy hovered behind Sam before finally sitting next to him and throwing a smile Lucy’s way.

“Eh, I don’t like to bring it up. People usually give me the same look you did. Though just about everyone around here knows anyway.”

She smiled at the two new people at the bar and held out a hand to Sam. He shook it as he introduced himself and Buffy and as she made them some soft drinks, Dean glanced across at Buffy. She still wasn’t looking at him and he wasn’t sure whether he was happy about it or not. Dropping her off at Bobby’s still seemed like the best idea and the sooner the better. He stood and nodded his head at a table. Sam picked up his drink and pulled Buffy over as Dean handed some money across to Lucy.

“We’re just gonna try and plan out our next move, try and avoid the ‘rents for as long as possible.”

Lucy just smiled knowingly and he walked toward the table. Buffy had taken a seat next to Sam with their backs against the wall and he gingerly pulled out the seat opposite them and sat.

“Get much info?”

There was a small touch of disbelief in his voice but Sam seemed to be genuinely asking so Dean squashed the indignation that was rising.

“Fair bit. I could tell you just about everything about anyone in this town. There’s one or two people we should scope out and they’ll be in tonight. ‘Never miss it’ apparently. Figured we’d pick them out, figure out which one it is and be gone by sunrise.”

Sam nodded at him and snuck a sideways glance at Buffy. As though she knew she were being watched, she shifted uncomfortably and stood up. “Well, you guys can sort it out; you don’t need me here. I’ll make sure everything’s packed.”

She walked out of the bar and Sam leant forward quickly. “Whatever you did, fix it!”

“What?”

“Dude, you’ve been avoiding each other all day. Obviously you said something to upset her so go out and fix it! The drive is gonna be really awkward otherwise.”

Dean sighed and stood. His legs had no intention of taking him out of the bar but he forced them to move and found himself squinting in the last rays of sunlight. Ahead of him, Buffy was walking toward the motel and kicking a few rocks out of her way as she went. He jogged slightly to catch up. As if she knew it were him approaching, she spun around and pointed a finger in his direction.

“Look, let’s just forget it, okay? Forget that it even happened!”

Her voice was low and her eyes flared with anger and hurt. He stood still and glanced out toward the reserve.

“You’re not acting like it never happened. You’re acting like you’re angry and Sam thinks I’ve made you angry at something I said.”

“This is new, right?” She waited for him to nod. “I’ve never had brothers before and you’ve never had a sister. Obviously, it’ll take some getting used to, so it’ll just take time. We’ll forget it ever happened and move on, alright?”

He took a deep breath. He had no idea why he didn’t think it wouldn’t work. After all, Sam didn’t seem to be having any problems and as much as he tried to forget what happened and constantly reminded himself that she was his sister, it didn’t seem to affect his feelings. He tried to push the thoughts from his head, he’d tried everything he could think of but he still wanted her and it made him sick to his stomach.

“Buffy...”

She turned away and he reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her back around to him. There was a moment when her eyes met his that he swore she was feeling the same way he was. Almost instantly he starting putting up as many walls as possible, trying to force himself to let go of her arm and put some distance between them.

To not pull her closer.

She took a small step backward and he blinked. The moment was broken and she looked down at her feet and he dropped his hand to hers. She looked at their joined hands and glanced up surprised when he quickly placed the keys into her hand and stepped back. He repeated that she was his sister over and over in his head like a mantra as he took first one step, then another back and eventually turned and walked into the bar without looking back.

The first breath he remembered taking was as he entered the bar and the smell of the bar filled his lungs as he breathed deeply. He looked across at the bar and saw Sam giving him a questioning look and Dean ignored him as he sat at the bar. Lucy moved over to the taps and he shook his head.

“Something stronger.”

She paused and gave a furtive glance at Sam before she turned around and Dean took a few seconds to collect his thoughts. Sam seemed to be waiting for something from him and he took a mouthful from the glass that was suddenly in front of him and he heard Sam sigh.

“You didn’t fix it, did you?”

He glared at Sam but his brother seemed unruffled, just as he usually did when he thought he was right. Sam stood and left the bar, opting for company from some of the other patrons. He watched over the next few hours as Sam mingled with some people their age before they all moved to the pool table to play a game. He swirled around the ice in his glass until it melted. Lucy took the glass off of him then and replaced it with a soft drink. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sam said you’re fighting with your sister.” He didn’t say anything and she leant on her elbow on the bar beside him as she surveyed the room. “You know, you don’t have to apologise.”

A part of him wanted to laugh but it came out as more of a strangled chuckle and he pushed the drink away from him. He wanted to apologise but didn’t know what for. Saying sorry for feeling the way he did? What had happened? Something didn’t sit well and he thought she’d probably take his head off if he brought it up again. Basically, he’d narrowed it down to insanity. That’s all that he could think - having the feelings he had for his sister. New or not, it was insane and he wanted to _punch_ himself for even thinking about it. He was definitely losing his mind if he couldn’t change it.

“Sometimes apologies don’t work,” he heard her say “sometimes you just have to accept it and move on.” He didn’t say anything and she continued. “Like Billy. He was having issues with his wife - they had a falling out that everybody in town heard and they struggled together for a while, basically having meltdowns every time they saw each other. Eventually he gave up and moved out. He’s seen her twice in the last year. Once the day he moved out and last week when he gave her the signed divorce papers. They were supposed to spend twelve months making sure they couldn’t sort things out but he just left. They’ve moved on. Maybe you can’t fix everything but you just have to pick your battles, ya know?”

“What?”

His head shot up as he processed it and she had a startled look before she began repeating herself.

“Ya have to pick your battles, move on an- “

“No, no, about the divorce papers?”

She frowned slightly. “Uh, he just gave them to her. He waited until the twelve months were up and came back Sunday to give them to her.”

He jumped off his stool and gave her a small smile. She frowned back at him in confusion but he pushed his way through the growing crowd to the back where Sam was playing. Sam had just lined up his shot when he bumped his elbow. The look of frustration faded as Dean looked at him.

“Gotta go.”

There was an urgency to his voice and Sam dropped the cue almost immediately despite the groans around him and followed him out of the door. Once the door closed behind them, Dean picked up speed and began jogging back to the motel. Sam ran up behind him.

“What is it?”

“The deputy. The owner said he’s been having problems with his wife, moving to New York.” Sam just looked at him. “It’s him! Lucy said he’s been going through a divorce, been gone for the last year. Came back to give her the papers. It’s him, it has to be.”

They ran into the parking lot and Dean haded straight for the front desk. As he drew up, he noticed that something was wrong. Opening the door, he saw the motel owner on the floor behind the counter, his throat ripped out and lying in a pool of his own blood. He didn’t even stop as he turned around and barreled past Sam. Sam swore as he saw what Dean had seen but Dean was already at the Impala and pulling a gun out from under the bags. He left the trunk open as Sam began searching for a weapon but he didn’t stop. He was already halfway to the door when he heard the trunk slam shut and his breath caught when he saw the door ajar slightly. There were a set of claw marks near the door knob and he gave a small nod to Sam as he drew up behind him.

His eyes looked around the room and he saw nothing but signs of a fight. Two of the chairs were broken and the lamp from the side table was shattered behind the lounge. The door to the first bedroom was open but the one to Sam’s room had deep claw marks on it. There was a couple of small smears of blood and Dean and Sam moved quietly through the lounge room. He nodded to Sam and then counted to three before flinging the door open to find the room shredded and Buffy sitting at the head of the bed. She looked up at them through weary eyes before looking down at the side of the bed. Dean moved further into the room and saw the body of the werewolf dead beside it, the thin silver knife from his bag sticking out of its chest.

He looked her over and apart from a deep scratch down her right arm, she appeared unhurt. He let Sam move over to her and fuss while he walked around the bed and knelt down next to the werewolf. She’d hit through the heart and he was wondering what he was going to do about it. They couldn’t just leave, especially not with the bloodshed around and a clean up would just take too long. He stood up and looked over at them.

“We’re gonna have to call the Sheriff.”

Sam nodded and helped Buffy stand from the bed. As he explained the general cover story to her, he led her from the room and she gave Dean one glance over her shoulder before disappearing from view. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and let out the breath he was sure he’d been holding since they reached the motel door. The thought that she had been killed had weighed so heavily on him and as he began dialling the Sheriff’s office, he realised his hand was shaking.  


* * *

  
“What’s going to happen to it?”

The Sheriff gave Sam a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder. “It’ll be destroyed. Lone wolves are extremely rare out here and this is the first incident we’ve ever had. There’ll be patrols in the area just in case there are any more but I don’t think we’ll find anything. You’re safe now.”

Sam nodded but Dean tuned out. He watched as the paramedic moved around Buffy and made sure the last of the dressing was secure. To her credit, she was playing her part well. As soon as the first vehicle had pulled up, she let loose a flood of tears and as the Sheriff had taken her statement, she’d shaken and told him how terrified she’d been and how the wolf had lunged at her and chanced to land on the small knife she’d been holding. He and Sam had been impressed. Now she was sitting in the ambulance, her legs dangling over the back as she rocked ever so slightly back and forth as though she was struggling to come to terms with it all.

Sam leant against the boot next to him. “She nearly died Dean.”

“You’re not giving her enough credit.”

“Dean, that’s not- “

Dean ignored him and pushed himself away from his car. Sam was right, even though he was wrong. Buffy was a lot stronger than Sam thought she was and she’d fought a werewolf and walked away with a scratch. That was either some serious luck or definite skill and he’d bet it was the latter. But things hadn’t been good between them and if she hadn’t made it, he didn’t know how he would have dealt with the guilt.

She’d looked up and seen him coming and Dean was trying to read her face to give him a clue. He saw a brief flash of relief and all subsequent thought flew out the window. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight as she laid her head on his shoulder. Whatever issues were between them, she was still his sister and he knew that keeping his distance had been hurting them both. The close proximity proved that he was definitely still trying to work things out but he had to give it a shot. Their family was dysfunctional enough without adding another sibling who wouldn’t speak to them.  


* * *

  
Dean yawned as he pulled onto the dirt road that led to Bobby’s house. He pulled the Impala around to the side and turned the engine off just as he saw Bobby step out onto the verandah. Dean stepped out of the car and Bobby just watched him as he tried to figure out how they were coping with the news. Dean leant across the seat and shoved a sleeping Sam’s shoulder before leaning into the back and shaking Buffy lightly. They both looked at him and he closed his door and moved around to the boot.

He pulled out the three duffles and followed Sam and Buffy up to the verandah. Bobby smiled at Buffy.

“Come inside.”

As they sat down in the lounge room, Bobby pulled a seat over to Buffy and offered her a glass of water. She’d already been told what to expect and she swallowed it down before handing the empty glass back to him. Sam handed over him the birth certificate and the article he’d printed out.

“Did you know about this Bobby?”

Bobby shook his head and looked across at her. “Nope. Didn’t even hear ya daddy mention it once, but he kept a lotta things close.”

“Like a daughter?”

Bobby shrugged and looked up at him. “You said somethin’ about bein’ trained?”

Dean looked across at her. “Yeah, she’s an incredible shot if it’s her first time shooting. She took down those vampires and that werewolf with barely a scratch.”

Buffy’s hand immediately moved to the dressing on her arm and Bobby frowned before motioning for her to give him her arm. She leant forward and undressed it to show an almost healed set of marks.

“Woah!” Sam said as he leaned forward to get a better look. “That wasn’t like that before. I was sure she was gonna need stitches!”

Bobby took a deep breath and stood slowly. He looked around for a moment and headed to a desk in the corner of the room. He rifled a few papers as Buffy pulled the dressing off altogether and ran a finger over the fading marks. Bobby spun around quickly, a knife flying from his hand and aimed straight for Buffy.

She caught it.

Dean looked up furiously at him. “What the- ?”

“Calm down boy, just wanted to test a theory.”

“What if your theory had been wrong? You could’ve killed her.”

Bobby sat slowly back down in his chair and took the knife out of Buffy’s hands. “If I’d’ve been wrong boy, we’d have more problems than we currently do. I think your sister is a Slayer.”

Sam frowned and looked up at Dean in confusion but all he could do was stare at her. “That’s not possible...”

Bobby shrugged. “Yeah, it is, and if ya wanna keep her outta trouble, I suggest you do somethin’ about it before something comes after her that ya can’t handle.”

“What’s a Slayer?” Sam and Buffy asked in unison.

Bobby pulled a nearby book onto his lap. “After you told me about her takin’ down the werewolf, I looked into a few things. Slayer’s really the only thing that makes sense. The Slayer’s a warrior, always a girl, who’s given the strength, speed and whatnot to fight demons. She’s a quick healer but not invincible and because she’s almost always called so young, they almost never make it passed their teens.”

“But I’m not a teenager.”

Bobby shook his head and smiled. “No, you’re not. And there’s only one called once the other has died. But there’s a legend that says that a decade or so ago, the Slayer died but was brought back to life. Technically she’d died so another Slayer was called and there was two. But somethin’ was trying to wipe out the Slayers and prevent any new ones comin’ around so the Slayer managed to call every single girl around the world that could ever be a Slayer at once. Made an army of them to fight.”

“But how come we’ve never heard of this army?”

“Ya daddy had. That’s why he told ya never to go to certain places - because there was already a Slayer there and they usually don’t mix well with us Hunters.”

Buffy took a deep breath. “Why not?”

“‘Cause traditionally they work alone. They’re usually taken from their homes when they’re called and trained to survive. We tend to work alone too and they don’t bow down to our authority - we’re usually too stubborn to bow to theirs.”

Sam looked across at Buffy. “They’re stronger than us?”

Bobby laughed as he stood and put the book on the coffee table. “Boy, she’d wipe the floor with you! They’re like superheroes and because there was only one, they were pretty much myths ‘til a few years ago, something demons told each other around a campfire. Word is spreading about them but they tend to keep the bigger evil things down while we settle ourselves with the demons up here.”

“Up here?”

“There’s more than what we see up here. There’re things you couldn’t even dream about. When the Slayer called her army, she led them right into Hell itself to set a few things straight. And she survived.”

Buffy stood and paced behind the chair, worry etched into her features. “And I’m one of these?”

“Looks like.”

Dean watched the fear on her face and frowned at Bobby. “Why now? I mean if all those Slayers were called years ago, why does she show up now? Why has she forgotten everything?”

Bobby pulled another book down from a top shelf and opened it up. It looked like a journal and there were several loose pages that almost fell to the floor as Bobby turned through to a specific page.

“This is what they call a Watcher’s diary. A Watcher is sort of a guardian for the Slayer. Each Slayer is assigned one and they train her. I found one of these in an old church basement a few years back. It’d been buried for years. It talks about the Slayer when she is first called but it doesn’t say anything about memory loss. From what I gather, her memory’s fine. I don’t know how or why now but there was one thing I managed to pick up from another Hunter. There’s a lot of talk about Cleveland. No one knows where or why but there’s a bunch of them there. I think you should take her there.”

He stood quickly. “We’re not gonna drop her off with a bunch of wackos that we don’t know.”

“They’re probably the only ones who can help you. They can train her.”

“We can train her.”

Bobby looked across sternly. “No you can’t! She’ll outstrip you in no time at all. Keeping her around untrained is just gonna get her killed. It’ll get you killed. You have no idea what sort of things she’ll come up against.”

“I wanna go.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to the blonde across the room. Dean stepped toward her.

“Buffy- “

“No, I wanna go. If things are a dangerous as you say, if _I’m_ as dangerous as you say, then I should be prepared. Not loving the idea of being dead but I don’t want anything to happen to you or Sam either because I’m around. If these Slayers can train me, then I should go and be trained.”

She nodded as if everything was settled and he could see the worry in her eyes. She asked Bobby a few questions about her strength and speed and Bobby took her out the back for a demonstration, Sam trailing along behind to watch. Dean dropped his head into his hands and took a deep breath.

If he was ever going to have a sister, one who was oblivious to their life would have been good. She could have had a normal life and they could have visited occasionally just to make sure she was safe. At the very most, a sister who would fight alongside them, someone who could have withstood the dangers they fought so often. But they’d blitzed right past that and he was looking at a sister who was almost definitely gonna die early because of the dangers she’d face. He wasn’t alright with that. He wasn’t fine with getting to know her, only to lose her again. He knew Bobby was right; if she was untrained, she’d be dangerous to them and herself but he didn’t want to drop her off somewhere with a bunch of ‘warriors’ he didn’t know.

He stood and walked out the front door, his feet taking him to the Impala. He’d turned the engine and driven away before he even realised he was leaving and the Impala kept up with him until he looked down and realised he was almost out of petrol. He didn’t really know where he was but he’d been driving in the one direction since Bobby’s and it shouldn’t be too hard to find his way back.

He’d come to no life-altering revelations, no reality-shattering conclusions, just a steady stream of emptiness since he’d left. And now he had to turn around and head back to the thing that had made him run in the first place. A small voice whispered that things would have been better if they’d never met her, if she’d never shown up on their doorstop with that birth certificate and placed herself in their lives. But he knew it wasn’t true. Things hadn’t exactly been going smoothly but there was no way he’d ever wish that she’d never stepped into their lives.

By the time he pulled the Impala back into her spot at Bobby’s, night had fallen and he was fighting sleep. It had been too long since he’d gotten a decent sleep. Bobby watched him from his spot at his desk as he walked toward the stairs. He offered a single nod and Dean smiled back. Sam and Buffy were safe and his little tantrum hadn’t caused to many ripples. He trudged upstairs silently and moved to the room he usually slept in. His duffle was sitting on the bed made up for him and he took of his shoes and lay his jacket across the end of the bed. There was a soft knock on the door and he turned around as Buffy’s head peeked in.

“I’m sorry if I made you angry,” she offered as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

Dean felt his heart jump into his throat and he unintentionally took a step backward. She frowned slightly but stayed where she was and fiddled with a loose thread on the hem of her tank top. She was offering an apology but his mind was far from there as she looked up at him. He cleared his throat.

“You didn’t make me angry. I’m just... frustrated... with this whole situation and I don’t wanna leave you there with someone you don’t know. Sam and I will probably stick around for a few days if we can, just to make sure you’re alright.”

A small tear fell down her cheek and he noticed her blinking her eyes to keep back the rest of them. “I’m just sorry about everything, about turning up unexpectedly and putting you through so much drama.”

He shook his head. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I’m glad we were around now so that we can help you, so that you’re not on your own.”

She nodded back, a small sniffle the only real indication of how close the tears had been, and turned to leave. Dean crossed the room quickly and wrapped his arms around her. He’d hugged her before when she’d needed it and she definitely needed it now. She buried her face in his shirt and he felt warm wet patches spread. He held onto her for a moment as she pulled her control back and when she looked up at him with a watery smile, he had to fight the very persistent urge to kiss her. He saw her eyes dart down to his mouth and he pushed her back to arms distance while he still had strength left. She seemed to realise what he was doing and her smile pulled tight as she nodded her head once and walked out the door.

Dean closed the door after her and lay down on the bed. He put his arms over his eyes and mentally kicked himself. Things weren’t getting any better and he knew he’d be an idiot to try and convince himself that they were. He struggled with his thoughts until he fell into a fitful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Sam discover that they have a sister, Buffy, who was abducted at birth and her disappearance covered up. Surprises just keep coming though when they find out that she's also a Slayer, a mystical warrior with a destiny, and travel to Cleveland, the only known collective of Slayers. Trouble is, the Slayers are also in trouble and with the fate of the world in the balance, things can't possibly get worse. Unless you count the fact that Dean seems to be falling in love with Buffy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for [](http://sncross-bigbang.livejournal.com/profile)[**sncross_bigbang**](http://sncross-bigbang.livejournal.com/). The amazing [](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/profile)[**kaddywhak**](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/) did the art for this story and you should definitely go check it out over at her [master post](http://kaddywhak.livejournal.com/12181.html)! Remember to leave lots of love because she put up with an unfinished story almost until the deadline! *hugs* :P MUCH love to my beta, the awesome [](http://hezio2.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://hezio2.livejournal.com/)**hezio2** , without whom I wouldn't have finished! Because she poked and prodded me from all the way over there to get it done :P

* * *

  
_She ran through the cemetery as fast as she could and only gave a cursory glance over her shoulder to see if she was still being followed. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw nothing behind her and she stepped cautiously backward as her eyes scanned the area around her. It had been right on her, she had almost been able to feel its breath on her neck and the idea of having lost it was ridiculous. She closed her eyes and listened for sounds, just as she’d been taught, but all she could hear was her blood rushing past her ears and she opened her eyes to scan the area again._

_As she stepped backward, her foot hit a branch and her weight caused it to snap underfoot. She spun around and her heart slowed as she noticed the broken branch beneath her foot. A nervous laugh crept into her throat but there was no time for it to sound as she turned back around. The sickly-yellow demon was standing in front of her with almost a look of glee on its face, if that were even possible. A grey-yellow substance oozed out of its skin like sweat and she saw its eyes turn a bold red before it backhanded her and sent her crashing into a nearby tombstone._  


* * *

  
The trip to Cleveland had been mostly uneventful. Things between himself and Buffy were still a little awkward but while Sam was around, it was less so. Sam spent the trip telling Buffy stories from their childhood. Most were funny with only the occasional story that silenced the car. Dean did his best to add his side of the stories that Sam told but that usually ended with an awkward glance between him and Buffy and Sam picked up the slack. Dean knew that Sam had no idea what had happened and was still of the opinion that he’d said something to hurt Buffy’s feelings and that they were still on the outs. Dean was beginning to think that would have been easier.

By the time they arrived in Cleveland, Buffy had become silent and withdrawn. She stared out the window and watched the scenery go past and he found himself wondering if it really was the best thing to do after all. She was still determined though. Bobby had called earlier and had narrowed down the search by giving them a location where supposedly a Slayer had been seen. They’d talked it over and decided that staking out the cemetery was probably the best idea.

By the time night had fallen, Dean had parked the car and they’d all been equipped sufficiently. Buffy had decided on a knife and deliberately not taken the gun; she’d said she’d felt more comfortable without it. It had confused him, especially because she had such great aim, but using a weapon she was uncomfortable with would have made the awkward night all the more awkward.

“Do you actually think we’ll see anyone?”

Dean shrugged but he noticed the stressed look on Sam’s face. Dean had found out that Buffy actually enjoyed talking through stake-outs or hunting or any activity where being quiet was important. He figured it was because she could handle anything that attacked with her little finger and was bored but Sam had learnt while they were hunting the werewolf that he found it irritating and Dean was just waiting for him to snap.

He pulled back the smirk that was forming on his face and stared ahead. There was a long haired brunette walking alongside a girl with short, spiky red hair. They were deep in conversation and looked oblivious to everyone else but when the brunette looked up and saw them, she stopped dead in her tracks. She paused for a moment and her mouth fell open before she ran forward and flung her arms around Buffy.

Buffy looked at him and Sam over the woman’s shoulder with a confused look and awkwardly gave her a pat on the back. She pulled back and the woman’s eyes were filled with tears.

“Oh my gosh! We thought you were dead Buffy! Where have you been?” She saw the helpless look Buffy threw over at them and stood back. “Buffy? Do you know who I am?”

Buffy smiled politely but shook her head. The brunette looked back over her shoulder to Dean and Sam and kept her eye on them as she called out to the redhead.

“Vi, call the school and let them know we found Buffy.” She turned her entire focus onto him and Sam and he noticed she positioned her body so that she was between Buffy and whatever potential threat they might be. “Who are you?”

Sam stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m Sam Winchester and this is Dean. We’re Buffy’s brothers.”

The woman pulled her hand from his grasp at that and took a step back closer to Buffy. Dean noticed that Vi had also tensed up and looked ready for a fight.

“Buffy doesn’t have any brothers. She only has me.”

“I know it might be confusing,” Sam offered, “but she really is our sister. She tracked us down with her birth certificate and we found out she went missing when she was a baby.”

The woman shook her head as Vi stepped forward. “Dawn, what do you want me to do?”

Buffy pulled on Dawn’s arm and looked at her. “You’re Dawn?”

Dawn nodded and Dean saw a tear fall down her face. “I don’t know what’s happened to you Buffy but I promise you we’ll figure it out.”

Vi stepped in closer and pulled a stake from her pocket. Dean saw that as the most opportune moment to step forward and prevent any unnecessary death. “Look, we were very confused too. Why don’t we just go somewhere that isn’t a cemetery to figure it out and leave all our weapons out of it?”

Dawn held on to Buffy’s arm. “Fine but Buffy’s coming with us.”

Dean stepped forward angrily, bristling at the implication that he would ever hurt Buffy. “She’ll be safe with us and I’ll be damned if I let you take her from here.”

“We don’t know who you are!”

“We don’t know who you are and right now Buffy knows us better than you. She’ll be safe with us.”

Dawn looked back at Buffy before wrapping her in a hug. “Everything will be alright, I promise.”

She turned back to them and Dean found himself moving forward until he was within arms reach of Buffy. Dawn didn’t seem like a threat but he wasn’t gonna take any chances - not after everything he’d seen.

“Just follow us, we’ll take you back to the school a- “

“We can’t!” Vi said, stepping forward suddenly. “The virus...”

Dawn’s shoulders sank a little and she looked up at Vi sadly. “I’ve already been infected. She’d have it by now.”

Dean grabbed Buffy and pulled her out of Dawn’s grasp, pushing her behind him as he raised his gun. “You’ve got sixty seconds...” he warned as he cocked his gun.

Buffy grabbed onto his arm. “No Dean! She’s the only thing I can remember.”

He looked down at her sadly. “Sorry Buffy, we’ll find another way, I promise, but I’m not letting you get infected by... whatever it is.”

Dawn looked up at him furiously and her fists glowed a faint green. Buffy tried to move out from behind him but he gripped onto her arm and held her close. He could see Sam a few paces away with his hand gripped tightly around his gun but he could also see Vi ready to take him down if he decided to pull it. Whoever they were, Dean wasn’t sure he could win so easily, especially not if Buffy wasn’t sure which side she was on.

Dawn looked around and he watched as she looked at Sam and Vi before taking a deep breath and clapping her hands once. An almost invisible dome was created around them that shone green in the places where light hit it. She lowered her hands and loosened her shoulders. Vi took a step back and put her stake away which only made Dean more nervous.

“What did you do?”

She took a step toward him but he held his gun firm. They might have been dropping their weapons but he wasn’t gonna give his up without a good excuse.

“No one outside of it can see or hear us. To them, they can just see what’s on the other side.”

Sam turned around and held a hand up the the barrier. His hand didn’t move past the green shade that appeared on contact and he turned around with a smile of amazement. It dropped almost as soon as he saw Dean’s face.

“Look, Dean, I don’t know who you are but you don’t seem to want to hurt Buffy. You have to understand that we’ve been looking for her since she disappeared and not even the locator spells showed anything. We thought she was dead. I know that this is all some sort of misunderstanding and we will help you sort it out. The virus is nothing you have to be afraid of. One of the Slayers was just infected by a demon a few nights ago and it seems to be spreading. We’re trying to fix it, believe me! I would never hurt Buffy, she’s my sister.”

Dean lowered his gun but it was Sam that stepped forward.

“Sister? But all of the records we’ve found showed that Harry and Joy Summerfield only had one child.”

“Harry and Joy...?” She looked over at Buffy. “You don’t remember anything at all?”

Buffy stepped out and stood beside Dean. He’d lowered his gun but he still wasn’t letting Buffy anywhere near Dawn, especially now that she’d shown her hand as a witch. Luckily Buffy seemed to have sensed that and she only moved as far as his side.

“No. Just that my name is Buffy and that someone called Dawn is important to me.”

“But not that I’m your sister?” Buffy shook her head and Dawn looked over at Vi. “Something’s not right. That’s not amnesia.”

Vi nodded. Sam stepped forward and Dawn turned to face him.

“What are you talking about?”

“She doesn’t have amnesia. She hasn’t had a spell cast on her to forget her memories, at least last time she did it wasn’t like this. Something has happened to... I dunno, rewrite history or something. But it’s a sucky job because our parents were Hank and Joyce - there’s not even a good change there.”

Vi looked across at Buffy. “Could it be like when Johnathon used that demon to change everything?”

Dawn shook her head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. Buffy’s the only one that’s affected. It’s like they were uploading a new life for Buffy but the harddrive crashed before it could finish; like she’s only got half of a new life.”

“Should we warn the other Slayers?”

“I don’t think we need to. It seems like Buffy was the only person affected.”

“It’s not this virus you’re talking about is it?”

When she looked back at him, Dean could have sworn her eyes were laughing at him. Her lips were pursed as she shook her head.

“No, this is entirely different. The virus, or whatever it is, seems to affect the Slayers the worst. The rest of us seem to be carriers with only a mild side affect of aggression. With the Slayers, it seems to latch on to the demonic part of them and go crazy.”

“Demonic?”

“Part of the original essence of the Slayer was demonic. Some men infected a girl with a demonic essence in order to give her what she needed to fight demons for them. It passed down to each Slayer but while the original Slayers were more in touch with that part, the modern Slayers have basically locked it away. This virus seems to attach to that part and is turning our girls more demonic. Sort of unlocking it. They’ve become excessively aggressive toward not only each other but themselves as well. Their emotions are heightened and they can’t reel them in. They’ve got more strength than they had and the first one who came into contact with it died this morning. It sort of pushed her past boiling point and her body shut down.”

“And you exposed Buffy to it?”

“It wasn’t intentional! I’m wondering if this was all some sort of setup? Get Buffy out of the way and destroy the rest.”

“You think it was The First?”

“No, not his style. Besides, those demons are around.”

Sam frowned. “But why Buffy? Why would getting her out of the way make things easier?”

Dawn looked startled. “Because... because she’s the one who started all of this. She turned all the Slayers from potentials, she’s the start of this new line. If someone were to take her out, the whole thing could collapse.”

Sam turned to Buffy in surprise and her eyebrows shot up. “I’m the Slayer that went into Hell?”

Dawn gave a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess. Depends which time you’re talking about but yeah.”

“Woah...!”

“So we need to get back to the school and sort all this out.”

Dawn looked at Buffy and smiled. “If it makes you feel better, you can go with them. We’ll get back and fix everything and even if we can’t, I’m sure Giles can. Besides, Andrew is gonna be over the moon to hear that you’re back; he’s been moping since you left.”

Dean noticed there was no recognition on her face when she heard any of the names but when Dawn pulled the barrier down, Dean and Sam led them back to the Impala. Buffy sat in the back and was quiet for the entire drive. Dean kept looking up into the rearview mirror but she kept her eyes focused on her hands the entire time. Sam just stared out of the window. A light drizzle began almost as soon as they reached the enormous grounds of the school Dawn had been talking about and Dean backed his car into the space beside Dawn’s just in case they needed a quick getaway - although the large wrought iron gate would definitely be an obstacle.

Dawn and Vi led them up a large set of stone stairs and Dean looked at the dark windows all around him. It was late but there wasn’t a single light on anywhere and it made him feel as if he were walking into a haunted house. He looked at Buffy walking beside him but she if she recognised the place, she wasn’t showing it. He and Sam walked cautiously through the front door that Dawn was holding open for them, keeping Buffy between them in case it was a trap.

The foyer was a large open area with a polished wooden floor that had an intricate carving that had been stained a shade darker than the wood. To the casual observer it would appear that the wood simply had a design on it but Dean could make out the large Devil’s Trap hidden in the centre. A double arched doorway on his left led onto a large sitting room but the one on his right had left the room hidden in the shadows of the closed drapes. A hallway in front of him led further into the house and there was a wide staircase beside it. Buffy came to stand beside him and Sam on her other side while he looked to Dawn as she closed the door. Vi disappeared down the hall almost immediately and Dawn waved her arm as she moved into the sitting room. He and Sam sat on either side of Buffy when she sat on the long lounge and Dawn simply smirked at him as she sat opposite them in a recliner.

“I know this is hard for you guys. But obviously something is trying, and I use the word loosely, to get Buffy out of the way because this ‘life’ that she suddenly has isn’t even a proper one. There’s not a whole lot of demons that can do something like this so it shouldn’t be too hard to- “

She stopped suddenly and he tensed as she cocked her head slightly in Buffy’s direction before picking up the handset beside her. She punched a few numbers and frowned as it rang.

“Willow! I’ve got a question. Do you think it’s possible for a vengeance demon to, I don’t know, not have enough power to do the job?”

He looked to Sam but his brother just shrugged in return. He was wondering just how many demons there were that they didn’t even know about if Slayers truly were in a league of their own.

“What about if they were interrupted or something?”

Buffy fidgeted beside him and he avoided looking at her as her knee bounced up and down anxiously.

“Can you just call him up and check it out? We’ve found Buffy but she doesn’t remember us. It’s like someone tried to give her a new life and did a crappy job.” He noticed Dawn pause as she swallowed thickly. “She has another family.”

It was barely above a whisper but the decrease in volume seemed to stem from hurt rather than secrecy. She nodded her head at whatever Willow was saying and and thanked her before hanging up.

“That was our friend Willow. There’s a group of vengeance demons that grant wishes and they can change things like people’s lives. They’re almost always creative about what you say and if someone wished that Buffy hadn’t been a Slayer or lived somewhere else, it would happen. Has happened actually. The world’s a whole lot messier without you.”

Dawn watched her for any sort of reaction and visibly deflated when Buffy didn’t seem to know what she was talking about. Dean leant forward.

“So, are you saying this whole thing was a mistake? That she’s not related to us and it’s, what, some spell gone wrong?”

Dawn looked at him defensively. “I know she’s my sister and that’s it. We’ve had a whole life together and her suddenly forgetting who she is and finding a new family is pretty suspicious! Speaking of new families, who exactly are you? You seem to know an awful lot about what we do.”

“It’s what we do,” Sam replied in a more conciliatory tone than he ever could have managed at that moment. “We’re Hunters; we hun- “

Dean tuned out and gave a sideways glance at Buffy. She seemed to be controlling her breathing, each breath softly laboured as she clenched and unclenched her fists. a frown fell on his face when he noticed that her leg hadn’t stopped bouncing up and down.

“Look, can I just get a straight answer?” she burst, interrupting what Sam was saying. Sam’s mouth fell open at the anger directed at them and Dawn simply gave her a half smile.

“Buffy, you’re just gonna have to wait. Willow has to call D’Hoffryn first and try and figure things out. If it was a vengeance demon, there might not be much we can do unless we can figure out why they’ve also infected the Slayers. Until Willow calls back, we just have to wait it out.”

Buffy stood and began pacing the room. “I’m sick of waiting! I have no idea who I am, what my life has been, who my friends are. I finally start getting used to the fact that I was kidnapped at birth and raised as a Hunter when all of a sudden I’m called as some mystical-whosit. Now I’m the leader of an Army who’s been infected with some virus and we’re all just _waiting_ around for what? Comfirmation that my life is messed up? I know that!”

Sam stood and held out his hands placatingly. “Buffy... “

“No, you calm down! I’m sick of this! I wanna know who I am, I wanna _remember!_ ”

She spun quickly on her heels and raced out of the room. They heard her hit the stairs and Sam moved to go after her but Dawn stood in front of him.

“Let her go. She knows this place like the back of her hand and she’s only going to get worse. If you try and go after her, she could hurt you.”

Dean stood quickly. “We can handle ourselves.”

“Against the garden-variety demons, sure. Against an enraged Slayer?” The light chuckle that followed made them both frown and he sat back down on the lounge. Sam remained standing.

“Look, I know that you’ve gotten used to her and Buffy tends to bring out the protectiveness in guys but she can handle herself. I’m not surprised she’s reacting so quickly - Faith was the first to start showing symptoms after Miranda returned back here, even though she wasn’t even there. She didn’t have direct contact with her. Guess it’s because she’s one of the originals, you know? More Slayer-y or something.”

“So there were two Slayers? One died and another was called even though the first was brought back to life?”

Dawn looked at her hands. “Yeah. Buffy was bitten by The Master. He drowned her but Xander did CPR and she came back. Faith was part of the new line.”

Sam sat slowly next to him. “Buffy died?”

“Yep, done it a few times since then, just to keep us on our toes!” she replied with false cheerfulness.

They sat in silence; the room was lit by the flashes of lightning the storm was beginning to produce and the rain was hitting the windows in a steady rhythm. He could have sworn he heard movement upstairs a few times but it was usually following a particularly large gust of wind and he put it down to movement of the old place. There was a thump upstairs that had clearly not been made by wind and he looked over at Dawn.

“Slayers. We tried keeping them locked in their rooms but they were too much of a danger to themselves. They still have territory issues but giving them free roam of the place was just easier.”

Sam stiffened. “You mean, you’ve just let them out? Aren’t they a little dangerous for that?”

“To anyone they come across? Yeah. But they can pretty much hold their own against each other and there’s more than enough of them that they won’t kill each other or anything. They’re not monsters - they just can’t really control their emotions and aggression seems to be the emotion of the day.”

“So it’s like a house full of PMSing women?”

Dawn raised an eyebrow and the smirk slid off Dean’s face.

“There’s the odd squabble but they’re mostly fine. We’ve got people working out how to fix this though they chose to leave... ”

“And they left you here alone to look after a school full of Slayers?”

“There’s a spell on the place. None of the Slayers are getting out.”

He looked into the darkened foyer. “What about something getting in?”

“They’ll take whatever it is out. Besides, nothing dares to come into a place like this; it’d be suicide.”

Dean looked back at her. “But if something deliberately got the Slayers infected, removed Buffy from the picture, wouldn’t this be the best time to strike? In all the chaos with no one around to think properly?”

Dawn faltered but was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking upstairs. He and Sam leapt up immediately but Dawn pointed further into the sitting room.

“Weapons and lights are over there.”

He moved to follow Sam but pulled the gun from his waistband and took the stairs two at a time instead. Someone needed to be upstairs, make sure no one was hurt or in any danger, and Sam and Dawn would be right behind with weapons if something was wrong. At least, that’s what he told himself. But as his gut clenched at the thought of Buffy being attacked, he pushed aside any further reasoning and opted to listen for noises. A faint sound of something wooden dragging on the floor came from his left and he took a step toward it before a movement caught his attention.

Dean turned around and walked down the dark corridor. Most of the rooms had closed doors and he pictured Slayers sleeping softly behind them, each one like a lion about to attack if woken. A worn board creaked underneath his foot and he stilled, each muscle tensing and his ears desperately trying to pick up any sounds of impending doom. Instead, there was nothing and he stepped gingerly over the spot on the floor and focused on the corridor. There was a room open at the end of the hall and by the faint traces of light coming from it, he presumed that the blinds were partially open if not drawn back all the way.

A shadow flitted across the threshold as someone in the room moved and he raised his gun in front of him as he took a step forward. Behind him he could only just hear the sounds of Sam and Dawn arguing with someone at the other end of the wing but he tuned them out as he rounded the corner, only to be hit with what felt like a freight train as something slammed into him from the side. His back hit the wall on the other side of the corridor and a hand clamped over his mouth as a body held him against the wall. He followed the hand to the face and saw a very tired looking Buffy glancing around the corridor in a mild panic. Her eyes stilled on the doorway he had just been about to enter and he saw the shadow flit back across the doorway. Her shoulders seemed to relax a little before she opened a door further down the corridor and pushed him into it.

“What are you doing here?” She seethed in a low whisper.

“We heard a crash downstairs, came to see what it was.”

She began pacing in front of him as she cast looks at the door. “You’re gonna get yourself killed. Besides, the mirror fell down the other end.”

She looked up at him, suddenly still, as she appraised him. “Just what exactly _are_ you doing down this way?”

“I saw movement! If the building was being infiltrated, I’d create a distraction too. Figured Dawn and Sam could handle it.”

“Why were you heading into Faith’s room then?”

Her body moved like fluid as she silently came closer and he imagined it would be how a panther moved before it attacked. His eyes drifted down her body and when he looked back at her face, her eyes were filled with fury. He gulped.

“Were you looking for her?”

The question seemed harmless enough but there was a dangerous edge to her tone that had him guarded. “I saw a shadow move in the room. I didn’t know she was in there; I thought it was something dangerous.”

“Oh, she’s dangerous.”

He watched as her hands clenched and unclenched and her feet propelled her toward him. She stopped a metre before him and cocked her head to the side, listening to some noise that he couldn’t hear. Dean held his breath, hoping that whatever it was would allow him to get out of the room unscathed. Buffy took a step toward the door, her muscles tense in preparation for a fight and he nearly laughed at how ridiculous it seemed that he was afraid of a bunch of women.

His finger itched on the trigger and he realised he still held his gun. He slowly moved his hand around his back and replaced it but Buffy’s eyes darting back to him forced him to pause. He grinned in the hopes of showing he was no threat and slowly brought his hands back around, palms up. His mobile vibrated silently in his pocket but it was enough to startle an already wound up Buffy and she looked up at him quickly before swinging a fist at him. It was all the warning he got.

Dean twisted out of her way and moved into the centre of the room. It was a small lounge room with bean bags haphazardly placed in the centre. That he found out the hard way when he stumbled backward on one and narrowly missed the right hook that probably would have hit him. She leapt toward him and he rolled out of the way, springing back onto his feet as she moved abnormally fast to the other side of the room, her figure coated in shadows making her impossible to see. Dean held up his hands in front of him.

“I was going to see her. Didn’t even know she was there. I just wanted to make sure you’d be safe.”

He heard her let out a small breath and thought he had been getting through to her - until a fist connected with his head and he went down seeing stars. He groaned as she hauled him back to his feet and shoved him against the wall.

“Don’t lie to me! Guys are always wanting her with her sexy looks and naked wrestling- “

Dean grabbed her arms. “You’ve got your memory back?”

“Bits... there’s bits and pieces and they’re all just... “ She growled low in frustration. “And you’re not helping!”

She slammed him back against the wall and before he had time to react, she pressed her lips forcefully against his. He stilled, not knowing what to do, but when she pressed her body closer to his, subsequent thought flew out the window and he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her thoroughly. Her wet tongue ran along his bottom lip and when he opened his mouth in surprise, she dove in.

He spun them around and pressed her back against the wall, his knee sliding between her legs and causing her to gasp into his mouth. He was pushed roughly backward and landed on a bean bag as she stalked toward him, straddling his body before kissing him again. Her hands ran up his shirt and nails raked down his skin. He pulled her hips closer and her fingers wound into his hair. She nipped his lip and a cold bucket of awareness drenched him as he remembered that she was infected. He threw his head back in frustration but she pressed small kisses up his throat. He held her at arms length.

“Buffy, no. You’re not yourself.” She lunged toward him again and he found that it was a real struggle to hold her back. Her green eyes glinted dangerously and he made the mistake of looking down at her right arm as it flinched before her head connected with his and the world disappeared.  


* * *

  
A hand slapped him across the face and he opened his eyes to see Sam grinning at him. His head felt like fireworks had exploded inside it and he groaned as he felt the ache in his protesting muscles. As he raised his head he noticed Dawn standing just behind Sam and looking at him anxiously. He noticed that the first small rays of light were peeking into the room.

“What happened?”

“She knocked you out!” Sam said showing almost no restraint from laughter. Dean pushed him backwards.

“Where is she?”

Dawn stepped forward. “She’s checking on the girls. Giles found an antidote for the virus; wasn’t related to Buffy at all. And Willow managed to track down the demon. She broke the pendant and what little of her memories hadn’t returned came back.”

“They weren’t related?”

Dawn shook her head and cast a quick look at Sam before looking back at him. “Uh, turns out someone made a wish and the vengeance demon decided to get revenge on Buffy and fill a wish. Multi-tasking evilness.”

“Huh.”

Sam offered to help him up but he just glared at the hand until it was retracted. His vision swam as he stood and he took a moment to balance himself before looking over at Sam.

“Ready to go?” Sam was visibly shocked and Dawn looked quickly between the two. Dean pulled his keys out of his pocket and threw them at Sam. “But you drive ‘cause I still have a massive headache.”

“Uh, I was thinking we’d stay here for a few days.”

“Why?”

Well, there’s a lot to learn and Buffy’s- ”

“Not related to us.” Dean finished. “So we let her get back on with her life and we get back on with ours.”

“Dean... “

“It’s not a discussion, Sam. The world isn’t suddenly right now that she’s back home. There’re still things killing people out there and it’s our job to stop that.”

Sam threw the keys back to him and frowned. “Then you’ll have to do it on your own because I think there’s still things we can learn here.”

He steeled his gaze and headed for the door.

“You can’t drive, Dean, you said so yourself!”

“Watch me!” he threw over his shoulder.

As he walked into the corridor, he was stopped by Buffy’s presence a few metres in front of him. She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other and Dean heard Dawn and Sam excuse themselves. Buffy gave them a nod before looking back at Dean.

“I was just coming to check on you.”

He stared at her and wondered if she remembered what had happened and whether or not she would admit it. If he was honest, most of him wanted to run in the other direction and never look back; wouldn’t even blame her if she did it too. The more treacherous part of him was adamantly against it. She pointed to his keys.

“So, uh, are you heading out?”

He tried to think of an appropriate response. _‘Yeah, the job’s done’_ seemed too harsh and _‘Not if you ask me to stay’_ was so sappy that he couldn’t believe he’d even thought of it. Apparently his face didn’t register the indecision because her face pinched and she looked down at her feet.

“I’m really sorry.”

“What for?”

The words tumbled out of his mouth and he was too horrified to take them back. She looked up, somewhat relieved that he was finally speaking to her, and began wringing her hands. Behind her he saw a couple of teenage girls cast a curious glance at him before heading down the stairs and out of sight.

“For, well, what happened. And the hitting you part. And you were so... I’m just- ”

“Don’t be.”

She frowned as she met his eyes and he offered her a small smile. “You have nothing to worry about. I’m the one who should have been in control - I wasn’t infected.”

Buffy quickly walked toward him, pushing him back into the room he’d just come out of. She closed the door quietly behind them and he threw a nervous look around the room. Buffy noticed and sighed.

“Sorry, it’s just, there were a million ears listening. Not that a door makes much of a difference... “ She bit her bottom lip nervously and he took a deep breath as he casually took a step back from her. “And, I know that I wasn’t in my right mind, in any way really, with the virus and the spell... ”

He tried to pretend that the feeling in his chest was not the sting from the words but probably a mild case of indigestion. Whatever it was, it registered on his face and she cringed.

“What I meant was, I know that all those things were affecting me but I was still aware of what I was doing. I remember everything that happened and - I know that for a little while there we all thought we were related but we’re not- ”

“I get it,” Dean said, putting up a hand, “I get it, we’re not related. You have your family back and your job and home. I’m real happy for you. Sam and I will be on our way as soon as I can drag his lanky butt ou- “

“Will you just shut up?” she nearly yelled. “I’m trying to tell you that I never saw you like that, I never considered you my brother!”

Dean was sure that every part of the crushing hurt he was feeling was visible on his face. Even if he couldn’t get his act together, he’d always thought that she’d felt part of their family and knowing that she didn’t even feel that felt like a huge loss. Almost like another death.

He took a step around her and reached for the door. As his hand touched the doorknob, he felt the force of her slamming him into the wall again and he cried out in protest until she kissed him. It took him a moment to register that her lips were pressed firmly against his before he pushed her back and looked at her in confusion. She took the act as one of rejection and he briefly saw the look of veiled hurt before he pulled her back toward him and kissed her again. This time she wound her arms around his neck and he pulled her body closer to his.  


* * *

  
Sam picked up the carton of eggs Dawn had pointed them to and handed them over. She smirked at him and pushed them back into his hands.

“Crack them for me, will you? I’ve kinda got my hands full here... “

The Slayer with her head down on the table brushed her brown hair aside and glared at them. “I thought ya weren’t supposed to be cookin’ anymore. That abomination you called a fruit cake a coupl’a Christmas’ ago was definitely poisonous!”

“It was not! It was just... gross. But look these are pancakes and you’ve all just been poisoned so this will be fine!”

The Slayer raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard stories ‘bout pancakes too...”

Dawn huffed and mixed the batter a little more forcefully. Sam poured in the eggs until she stopped him and then looked up at the ceiling. He had no idea what was going on but he was hoping his brother was at least apologising for whatever he’d said to Buffy to make her angry when they’d been hunting. After all, that was probably why she’d knocked him out too.

“Think he’s gonna stay?”

Sam looked over at Dawn and shrugged. “I don’t know. Depends on how well he apologises, I guess.”

The Slayer stood from the table and stretched her hands in the air. “I’ll bet he’s real good at apologising too.” She winked at the both of them before she sashayed off to the training room to help the Slayers who were working off any excess aggression.

Sam raised both eyebrows and looked over at Dawn who returned the look. They both looked up at the ceiling.


End file.
